Afghan President Hamid Karzai met with Indian President Pratibha Patil on Monday, part of a daylong visit to New Delhi aimed at strengthening ties between the two countries. Later in the afternoon, the Afghan president is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the two leaders will head talks between their delegations, India's foreign ministry said in a statement. Talks between Karzai and Singh are expected to focus on issues relating to the safety and security of Indians working on development projects in Afghanistan. «President Karzai's visit carries forward the sequence of high-level interaction between the two countries and would contribute to strengthening the strategic partnership between India and Afghanistan,» India's foreign ministry said ahead of the talks. A press statement will be issued after the talks, the ministry was quoted as saying by the Associated Press. This is Karzai's first visit to India since his re-election as president. Early Tuesday, Karzai is scheduled to leave for Bhutan for a summit of leaders of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation, or SAARC, which includes leaders from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the Maldives, Bhutan and Bangladesh.
